Tag: hand sewing

Get off my case, I finally gussied up your hat!

Published on by car2ole3 Comments

I really, really, REALLY want to do some sewing.  At least I’ve done a few things on my  wouldn’t-this-be-great-if-I-made-the-time-for-it list.  Things I didn’t want to make time to do, because, well, they’re boring.  Stuff like this.

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No, I didn’t make a hat.  I made a hatband.  Before you go all whoop-de-doo on me, I made a really NICE hatband.  What a pain in the ass.

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I made it like you would make a tie.  I cut the batik fabric and the interfacing on the true bias.  The interfacing I used is a soft, woven fusible, found while digging through an armoire.  The bias allows the band to hug tight and curve onto the crown of the hat.

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I chose to make the band one inch wide.  I used a loose hand stitch on the reverse to seam the band.

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I hand stitched the band onto the hat, and voila!

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A custom band for a custom hat!  It has passed the tiki bar test.  On Tuesday it is heading out for the golfing test.

I don’t need to be doing that again any time soon.  It’s one of those futzy projects that I have been putting off, and I was running out of excuses.

I also cut out the pieces for a cute new little quilt.  That was way more interesting.  But you’ll just have to hold your horses, you’ll get to see it eventually.

Now go make something pretty.

Ring around the rosette

Published on by car2ole2 Comments

Hot diggity dog, I made some progress!

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This is part of the Millefiore Quilt-Along using the book The New Hexagon.  Bless her heart, Katja Marek is starting a revolution with this project.  Based on absolutely no science, I’ll bet that more people have started English paper piecing (EPP) since this project hit the web.  And I’ll also bet her book is flying out of stores and warehouses all over!  Go get your Google on or look on Facebook and see what’s happening!

I fussy cut the bee fabric for the diamonds, but the batik and the blue were so easy since they didn’t require fussy cutting.  Which is good, because I am discovering I am not speedy at hand sewing.  But I’m making progress, amazing since I ripped out my middle.  My rosette, not my midsection.  I kept seeing my crappy little stitches.  Even though I’ve thoroughly embraced the mantra that finished is better than perfect.  What the heck was I thinking when I used a whip stitch the first time?

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This second time I used the ladder stitch.  The funny thing is, I know that’s what I should have done the first time.  The ladder stitch is what I ALWAYS used when stitching together knitted garments.  It’s my go-to stitch when I want to make sure my stitches don’t show.  I guess I just had a brain fart, didn’t translate my knowledge back to fabric.  My bad.  I’m also thinking that whenever I am full of myself, thinking I am too clever for my shirt, I will post close-ups of some of my wonky work.

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Might not be much progress on this for a few days.  I’m off to Honolulu for the weekend, hanging with some young-uns.  There will be rum and a pirate ship involved.  And perhaps some photographic evidence.

Crafting can be dangerous.  Be prepared.  Arrrgggghhhh!

Sewing by hand. Not kidding.

Published on by car2ole11 Comments

Hire an exorcist, I have been possessed.  In my defense, I accidentally ran across some pictures of what is called a millefiori quilt.  Err merr gawsh.  Go google it.

I couldn’t help myself.  I knew I had to try it.  Even though all of my instincts are on high alert.  Even though my fight-or-flight instinct was screaming, “run away!”  Because they are made BY HAND.  You know, like sewing with a proper needle and thread.  And probably a thimble.  Because needles are sharp.  (Some of the needles even have the word sharp written right on the label, in case you couldn’t remember.)

Then I found something called The New Hexagon – Millefiore Quilt-Along.  Heaven help us all.  The brainchild of Katja Marek, it uses her new book The New Hexagon.  She’s using her superpowers to suck in all of us unsuspecting fabric collectors.  She’s egging us on, drawing us in with a Facebook group and encouraging comments on our progress.  And I don’t think she sleeps, either.

Here’s my first hexagon, hexie if you’re a savvy quilty/sewy person.

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Don’t you dare comment on the fact that you can see my crappy little hand stitches, petite though they are.  I took them all out and had a do-over.  Not anal much, huh?  I will put up a new pic soon, along with my next row or so.

Wish me luck on my (insane) adventure!

Now go make something pretty.